


Dollhouse

by ChokolatteJedi



Category: The Immortals - Tamora Pierce, Tortall - Tamora Pierce
Genre: Advent Calendar, Advent Challenge 2013, Dollhouses, Dolls, Gen, Midwinter, Presents, Toys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-21
Updated: 2013-12-21
Packaged: 2018-01-05 12:51:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1094075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChokolatteJedi/pseuds/ChokolatteJedi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The children show Daine their Midwinter present</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dollhouse

**Author's Note:**

> Written for my Advent Calendar prompt "Dollhouse."

"Daine! You came!" Princess Kalasin - Kally - quickly ran towards Daine and the other newcomers, her brothers and Alanna's trio not far behind.

Daine absorbed the dogpile-hug cheerfully, and wished all of the children Midwinter's greetings.

"Come see what we got for Midwinter!" Kally insisted.

"Yeah, come with us, while the adults talk boring!" little Aly declared.

Daine exchanged a glance with Numair. Though she was always happy to see the children, she didn't feel that she should run away from the 'boring' adult niceties like greeting their majesties. "Go on, Magelet," her teacher whispered.

Only a little relieved, Daine quickly followed he children back to their playroom.

"Guess what we got!" Kally immediately said.

"I'm sure I have no idea," Daine replied.

"A dollhouse!" She and Roald said together.

Just then, they entered the playroom, and Daine's eyes widened. To call that a dollhouse was to call Cloud a little opinionated. It was a - to her eye - perfect replica of the palace, which opened down the middle on clever hidden hinges.

As Daine looked it over, she found the stables and kennels in their places, and several small figures - human and animal alike. One even appeared to be a tiny likeness of Ouna, standing in a corral with several little wooden ponies.

"We got something fun too, but Roald and Kally are letting us play with their present," Thom informed her seriously.

"That's very nice of them," Daine managed, still flummoxed by the intricately detailed 'dollhouse.'

Suddenly, she sensed a familiar presence behind her. Numair leaned over and whispered in her ear, "and, on the off chance that the enemy ever makes it this far, we have a perfect tactical model."

Daine eyed the present with new eyes. It was perhaps a callous thought to reimagine the children's toy as a war tool, but then, at Pirate's Swoop last year, she had learned the callousness of war.

"How clever," she murmured dryly. Alan offered her a carved pony to play with, and Daine accepted it. Before kneeling to play with the children, she added to Numair, "I think I prefer this use of it."

Faintly, she heard Numair's reply. "So do I, Magelet. So do I."


End file.
